A week after the incident at Raton Pass, the herd passed through the toll without any hassle. As they moved North they crossed the Purgatoire river to the east of Trinidad. The country was dry, and the river wasn’t much more than a trickle.
‘I ain’t never see the river this low before,’ Bannister said to Savage as they sat their horses while the herd drank.
The Drifter looked around the dry, brown landscape covered with patches of stunted brush. ‘It sure is dry.’
Bannister nodded. ‘And then some.’
‘I was thinking about sending Grub to Trinidad for some supplies. I figure he’s running low on most things by now.’
There was movement as Llano Sam moved his horse in beside them.
‘You find much water?’ Savage asked.
The scout shook his head. ‘It’s drier than a desert out there.’
‘Maybe it’s a better option to water the herd here for a few days and then push them on,’ Bannister suggested.
The Drifter thought for a moment and then nodded. ‘All right. It’ll give Grub time to go into Trinidad and get some supplies.’
‘You all know there’s a town east of here, don’t you?’ Sam asked.
‘What town?’ Bannister asked.
‘Crow Creek,’ Sam said, then frowned. ‘No, wait. They changed it to Paradise.’
‘You mean ghost town Crow Creek?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘But it’s a ghost town,’ Bannister pointed out.
Sam nodded and then shook his head. ‘Not anymore. It’s got folks living there now and farms around it as well.’
‘How? Last time I was through there it was a dustbowl.’
Sam shrugged.
Savage asked, ‘Is it closer than Trinidad?’
‘Sure is.’
‘Can Grub be there and back in a day?’
‘Yep.’
‘Then he can leave at first light. I’ll tell him after. All right, Mike, it looks like we’re going to be here a few days.’
An hour later, Mavis approached Savage just after he’d finished sorting out the nighthawks. The sun was an orange ball not far above the western horizon. An almost golden hue was cast across the landscape. The lowing of the cows could be heard intermittently in the cool evening air.
‘Mike told me we’re staying here for a couple of days,’ she said.
Savage nodded. ‘Just to give the herd a good fill of water before we take them on. Sam said there was a shortage of water ahead. While we’re here, I’m going to send Grub into Paradise to get supplies.’
‘I’ll go with him.’
‘No. You’ve been through enough. I’m sorry I haven’t been around much to check on you.’
‘I don’t need checking on, besides, Mike has been doing that quite well.’
‘You sound like you’ve changed your tune about him,’ Savage noted.
‘He’s been nice to me, yes. It doesn’t change who or what he is, though.’
Savage’s face took on a grim expression. ‘How is everything else?’
‘I’m feeling better,’ was all she said.
He stared at her for a moment before nodding. ‘All right, go with Grub. However, I’ll still send another man with him anyway.’
Mavis nodded. ‘Okay.’
Savage hesitated a moment and then said, ‘While you’re in town, maybe see if they have a doctor. Get him to give you the once over.’
‘I’m fine.’
‘There’s still a long way to go,’ he reminded her.
‘Don’t fuss.’
‘All right then.’
‘You know, I don’t get you.’
‘Why?’
‘I’ve heard the others talk about you. About the things you’ve done. And yet I find that under all that tough exterior there is a decent man. A good man.’
‘I wouldn’t call me that. Listen to what they say, ma’am. Most of the stories are true.’
Her gaze softened. ‘I don’t believe that.’
Before he could set her straight, Mavis whirled about and was gone.
Dobson
Josiah Breen looked down at the grave of his dead partner. They told him he’d been killed by the stranger in the saloon along with another man. There were words exchanged about business and the stranger’s employer not being happy about it.
Well shit, if he wants a war, he’s just fired the first shots, Breen mused.
There was movement beside him and he turned to see Milt. ‘Did you find out any more about this killer?’
‘Nope. Only that he rode out not long after.’
‘I want you to hire some men if need be.’
‘What about the boys coming up the trail?’
‘We can’t rely on them. Especially if whoever is behind this decides they want to hit us before they arrive. They’ve made their intentions clear.’
Milt didn’t like it much but, well … ‘All right. I’ll leave in the morning. I’ll be gone a few days.’
‘Good.’
Cheyenne
The door to French’s office opened not long before dusk and Brit entered; dust covered his clothes.
The stock agent looked up from his paperwork and saw that it was his hired gun.
‘What did you find out?’ French demanded.
‘All that we heard was true,’ Brit said.
‘Damn it. Did you have any trouble?’
The killer rubbed at the scar on his face. ‘Not a lot. Although out of the two fellers that are setting up shop over there, only one is left.’
French nodded. ‘What about the other one?’
‘From what I can gather he’s coming up the trail with a herd of cows.’
The office became quiet as French thought about what he would do next.
He said, ‘Hire some men. We’ll ride over to this town and put a match to it. We’ll teach them that I won’t be trifled with.’
Brit hesitated before he said, ‘You know, there is something else you could do.’
‘What’s that?’
The killer went on to explain. ‘Everything is there. Large yards, larger than here. They could hold ten-thousand more head than Cheyenne. Plus, they have more loading chutes at the new rail spur, which means the cattle can be loaded faster. Add to all that the fact the town is closer than Cheyenne and it already has herds headed there and it’s ripe for the picking.’
‘Are you suggesting that we leave Cheyenne and set up business in this new town?’
Brit nodded.
‘What about the feller who has a previous claim on it? You seem to have overlooked that small fact.’
‘I’ll take care of him for you. Just like I always do.’
‘You seem to have thought this through,’ French acknowledged. ‘What do you get out of it?’
‘Instead of you paying me like you do, I want a percentage of what you make.’
‘How much?’
‘Ten percent. I ain’t greedy. I figure you’ll make a lot of money. If you do, then I will too.’
Once again French was silent as he thought. Then he nodded. ‘All right. Get some men together and we’ll have a look. If I like it, we’ll do it your way. But, I intend on leaving someone here in charge, just in case. If it does work, then they can follow.’
Brit smiled at the prospect of more gun work. ‘Sounds fine to me.’
Paradise
It was one of the weirdest sights Grub had ever seen in all his years. In the middle of a drought-stricken landscape was a large patch of green with trees and a creek. In the middle of the patch of green was the town of Paradise.
‘It ain’t right,’ Grub muttered as he eased the chuckwagon to a stop.
‘What isn’t?’ asked Mavis.
‘I agree,’ said Wills, the young cowboy with sandy hair. ‘How could something be so green in the middle of all this brown?’
They’d left the herd early that morning and it wasn’t long after noon when the town came into view. It was as though someone had thrown up a jumble of false-front buildings around a central street and called it a town.
‘What’s that building there?’ asked Wills.
Grub and Mavis looked to where Wills was pointing. On the far side of town was a building the size of a large barn. It looked almost like a church, except it didn’t have a spire and the cross was replaced by a large, circular disc.
‘You seen anything like it afore, Miss Mavis?’ Wills asked.
‘Not that I can recall.’
‘Tell you what, Wills. Before we leave town, you can check it out and satisfy your curiosity.’
Wills nodded, content at the prospect. ‘Thanks, Grub. I do believe I’d like that.’
Grub slapped the reins across the backs of the horses. ‘Come on then. Let’s go get us some supplies.’
Upon entering the town, the first thing that struck the three of them was how friendly the people were. Normally, strangers in a town would be stared at and treated warily. But on their arrival, they were greeted with warm smiles and more than one offer of help.
The main street was spotless. Typically, one would expect some kind of rubbish or at least horseshit, yet there was nothing of the kind.
The painted signs all looked fresh, the glass in all the shopfront windows seemed to sparkle. Nearly all the men folk wore suits and the women wore plain gray dresses. Then there was the fact that none of them wore guns.
Grub drew the wagon to a halt outside the general store and glanced about.
‘There’s something strange about this place,’ he grumbled.
‘Ain’t that the truth,’ Wills acknowledged. ‘I say we get the heck out of here.’
‘After we get the supplies we need. How about you go and check out that building we saw, while Miss Mavis and me head in here and do our business.’
Wills gave them both an uncertain look.
Mavis gave him an encouraging smile. ‘Go on, you’ll be fine.’
After a few more heartbeats, Wills nodded and climbed down from his horse. ‘All right then, I’ll do it.’
He tied the animal to the back of the wagon and started along the street to the far side of town.
‘I hope he don’t go and do nothing foolish,’ Grub said.
‘I’m sure he’ll be fine.’
Grub climbed down from the wagon seat and then walked around the rear to help Mavis alight. When he arrived, however, he found Mavis already on the street. By the looks of it, she’d been helped down by a tall man with a beard. He was dressed in black and wore a long frock coat. He also carried a gun.
‘Looks like you don’t need my help then, Miss Mavis,’ Grub growled.
The man turned and stared at the cook. Beneath a low-crowned, black hat, Grub could see piercing, pale-blue eyes.
‘It’s okay, Grub. Mr. … ahh …’
‘Osborne, ma’am. Elder J.T. Osborne.’
Grub thought the man was joking. ‘Elder? You ain’t no older than Miss Mavis there.’
Osborne smiled. ‘It’s just a title that the brothers have given me.’
‘Brothers? You mean your brothers call you that?’
‘In a way.’
‘I had me some brothers once, but they never called me anything like that.’
‘Where are your brothers now?’
Grub grunted. ‘Dead. One was killed at Shiloh and the other was killed in the Shenandoah.’
‘I don’t think Mr. Osborne quite meant that, Grub,’ Mavis said.
‘What? Well, why don’t he just say what he means then? Be a lot more understanding if he did.’
Osborne ignored him and asked, ‘Did I see a third man ride in with you?’
Mavis nodded. ‘Yes. He’s gone exploring if you get what I mean?’
‘I do hope he doesn’t lose his way. Many strangers have come to Paradise and lost their way.’
Grub snorted. ‘How in blazes could he get lost in a town this size?’
‘What brings you to town? Osborne asked Mavis, again ignoring the cook.
‘We have a trail herd headed north to Cheyenne. We needed to stop for supplies.’
‘Many of you?’
‘Sixteen or so.’
‘Come far?’
Grub interrupted. ‘I’d love to stand around here jawing all afternoon, but we need to get these supplies and start back for the herd. You all got a saloon in town? I need to get some medicinal whiskey. I didn’t see one when I rode in.’
Osborne shook his head. ‘There’s no saloon in Paradise.’
Grub couldn’t believe what he’d heard. ‘No saloon? What kind of town is this?’
Osborne’s voice grew an edge to it. ‘A town that has no trouble.’
Mavis didn’t like the turn things were taking and said, ‘We’d best buy these supplies and get back. Thank you, Mr. Osborne.’
‘My pleasure.’
Osborne stood and watched them go inside the store. Behind him, across the street on the opposite boardwalk stood four more men, all dressed the same way he was.
Bucky Wills stood in front of the large building and scratched his head. He’d never seen anything like it in all his born days.
The round thing on top of the roof was a patterned circle with a face in its center. It seemed to have its tongue sticking out.
On the large, front, double-doors were pictures of … well, he wasn’t quite sure what they were.
Wills stepped in closer and climbed the wide steps. He reached out and touched the raised carving on the left door.
‘His name is Tlaloc.’
Wills snatched his hand back as if his fingers had been burned. He whirled around to see a young woman standing there.
She smiled. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.’
‘I’m not … I mean you didn’t,’ Wills stammered.
‘Of course not.’
‘What is this place?’
‘It’s our church, kind of.’
‘Who is that Tlaloc feller you just said?’
‘He is the God of rain. We pray to him every time we are in church.’
‘Does it work?’
‘What color was the grass you saw on the way in?’
Wills nodded. ‘It works.’
‘The one up on top is called Huitzilopochtli. He is the God of the sun.’
‘You folks sure have a lot of gods.’
She giggled. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Bucky. What’s yours?’
‘Becky.’
Wills smiled. ‘Well shoot, how about that.’
‘Would you like to have a look inside?’
‘Yes.’
‘Okay, follow me.’
Inside was something else. To say that it was lavish was an understatement. Polished timber, silver, brass, and gold. The stuff was everywhere.
Wills’ jaw dropped. Paradise sure kept throwing up surprises.
A long aisle ran down the center of rows of pews. The floor looked to be made of marble blocks. At the end of the aisle was a huge platform with a large alter on top of it.
Becky took him by the hand and said, ‘Come with me.’
Wills, still in awe of his surroundings, allowed himself to be led along. Before he knew it, he was standing on the stage surrounded by statues and other shiny trinkets that sparkled with all kinds of jewels.
Suddenly he became aware of Becky’s closeness. Her shoulder touched his, the back of her hand brushing the back of his. And then there was her breathing. Next to his ear.
Small jolts ran through Wills into his brain. All his nerve endings tingled.
‘Can you feel it?’ she whispered in his ear.
‘F—feel what?’
‘It,’ Becky said, her lips touching his ear.
Wills swallowed hard. ‘I can’t feel nothing.’
‘It’s the power of the Gods.’
Becky’s right hand traced a line up his arm and Wills stiffened.
He gasped, ‘I think I’d best go.’
Becky’s hand travelled across his chest and downward until it reached the young cowboy’s crotch. She found the bulge and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Wills drew in a sharp breath and felt himself grow hard.
Becky ran the tip of her tongue up the side of his face and said, ‘See, you do feel it.’
The cowboy stood there like a rock, afraid to move. Becky reached down and grabbed his right hand and lifted it. When she reached her left breast, she placed his hand there and said in a hoarse voice, ‘Squeeze it.’
Wills did as she commanded and through the material of her dress he felt her nipple harden.
Becky moaned in his ear, ‘Do it harder.’
It was as though he’d no control over his actions and his movements followed her every wish.
Suddenly her other hand dropped down and she fumbled with his belt. Within a matter of moments, the gun belt had fallen to the floor and Wills’ pants had dropped lower on his thighs. From below his shirt jutted his erection, thick and hard.
Becky immediately started to massage it and as she did, her lips touched his. Her tongue darted forward, and the young cowboy’s mouth opened to accommodate it.
Another moan escaped from the now panting young woman and her hand started to work him faster and faster.
Wills began to tremble as he neared his point of release. ‘You gotta—stop.’
‘Shh.’
‘I can’t … you can’t … oh shit.’
Wills started to spasm with his release and he buried his face in the junction of Becky’s neck and shoulder. He jerked and gasped as she kept up her ministrations and drained him of everything.
Finally, Wills gave one last jerk and pulled his head back to look into Becky’s eyes. ‘I’m sorry. I ain’t never had that done to me before.’
Becky remained silent and he realized she wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was directed over his shoulder.
‘Hey!’ a voice said from behind him.
Wills whirled about and his mouth and eyes flew wide. The last thing he saw before the lights went out was a pair of piercing blue eyes.
The rifle butt smashed into the young cowboy’s face just above the bridge of his nose, his eyes rolled back, and he hit the floor and remained still.
Becky looked at Osborne and snapped, ‘About frigging time. Where the hell were you?’
‘Is he the one?’
Becky shook her head. ‘No. Tlaloc did not send him to give me a child.’
Osborne nodded and looked down at Wills. ‘We can still sacrifice him. Already the landscape underneath all of its green is drying.’
Becky nodded. ‘Okay.’
‘There is a trail herd close that he came from. There are two others, a man and a woman, here in town. Maybe if we hold them then more will come to search for them. Maybe the right one will ride with them.’
Becky nodded thoughtfully. ‘Yes. Maybe you’re right. The one we need is close. I can feel it.’
‘That’s the last of it,’ Grub said as he paid the clerk behind the counter. ‘We’ll get this all on the wagon, find the young un, and get on back.’
Mavis followed Grub out through the door with an armful of supplies. She’d only gone a couple of steps across the boardwalk when she ran into the back of him.
‘What …?’
Then she saw them. The five men standing out in the middle of the street in a line. All were dressed the same. Standing in the center was Osborne, beside him, bloodied and battered was Bucky Wills.
‘What the blazes is going on here?’ Grub snapped as he took in the sorry sight before him.
Mavis took a step forward to stand at the cook’s shoulder and gasped.
‘Your boy here was taking liberties with one of our young ladies,’ Osborne explained. ‘Started to force himself upon her. If I hadn’t found him when I did, things may have been a lot worse. He will be held until the full moon. Then he will be put to death for his crime.’
‘The hell you say,’ Grub growled and took a pace forward.
With swift movements, frock coats were swept back, and six-guns came free of their holsters. Four of them were aimed at Grub while Osborne hadn’t even moved.
He continued, ‘Until that time, all of you will be kept here. After the time of his death has passed, then you will be free to go.’
‘You can’t do this,’ Mavis pleaded.
‘You can’t stop us. We are the elders and what we say is law.’
‘They should’ve been back by now,’ Bannister pointed out.
Savage nodded. ‘You’re preaching to the choir.’
‘What are you going to do about it?’
‘I guess I’m going to have to go and find them.’
The supply party had been gone three days and still, there was no sign of them. Now Savage was starting to worry, even though he didn’t show it.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Bannister said. ‘I’ll bring the kid along too.’
‘All right,’ Savage agreed. ‘Have Sam take over the herd. If we aren’t back inside three days, tell him to take the herd to Cheyenne, sell it, and split the money with the rest.’
‘What do you figure happened to them?’
‘I wish I knew. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.’
Bannister looked to the east and saw darkened clouds alive with lightning. Savage did the same and said, ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’
‘Yeah. I have the same feeling. The one that says Paradise ain’t all it’s made out to be.’
The ground still had puddles and thick mud covering it when the three of them rode into town. Their horse’s hooves kicked up splashes of brown water with almost every stride.
‘Damned if I ain’t seen anything like it before in my life,’ Bannister said again as he shook his head.
Savage knew what he meant. It was as if the rain had fallen only on the landscape surrounding the town, and did so with high frequency, going by the well-defined line between dry-brown and bright-green.
‘Let’s go and see if we can find our people,’ Savage said, and eased the roan forward.
Bannister and Hanson fell in behind him and the horse’s hooves started their squelching sound again.
They drew the attention of everyone in town. Pedestrians stopped and stared at the strangers, some pointed.
‘Is it me or does this place just keep getting weirder?’ the kid asked.
‘I take it that you’re talking about the way they’re dressed?’ Bannister asked.
‘That ain’t the only thing.’
In front of them, Savage’s horse came to an abrupt halt and Bannister had to change direction or his mount would have collided with the roan.
‘What the hell you go and stop like that for?’ the kid complained.
The two riders in front of him remained silent.
‘Well?’ the kid demanded as he tried to see past both men.
‘Why’d they have to go and do that for?’ Savage asked.
Bannister spit on the ground. ‘Shit. Why indeed?’
Hanson moved his horse around the two men. ‘Why what?’
Then he saw it—him.
‘Aww, shit! Is that …?’
‘Yeah, Wills,’ Savage supplied. ‘Or what’s left of him.’
The young cowboy was tied to an erect slab of granite, his shirt was gone, and his head slumped forward. His body from the chest down was a mass of dark brown where his blood had flowed in sheets and pooled at Wills’ feet.
The kid screwed up his face. ‘Christ, have they…?’
Savage leaned forward and slid the Yellow Boy from the saddle scabbard. ‘Yeah. They cut out his fucking heart.’
Suddenly, the three riders realized the street was vacant. The townsfolk had melted away.
‘Savage,’ Bannister’s warning drew the Drifter’s attention to the far boardwalk.
‘I got them.’
The sound of the lever being worked on the Yellow Boy sounded almost deafening in the heavy silence that had descended.
‘Five of them,’ the kid pointed out.
‘Make that ten,’ Bannister said in a dry voice.
‘Which ones do you want to kill first?’ asked the kid.
‘Just let Savage handle it,’ Bannister growled.
The roan shifted nervously under the Drifter as the group of townsfolk closed in.
Savage placed the Winchester across his lap in an unthreatening manner.
‘Quite a welcome-mat you fellers roll out,’ said Savage.
‘We like to be careful where some folks are concerned.’
Savage and the others shifted their gazes to the speaker on the boardwalk. A young woman.
Savage motioned to Wills. ‘What did the feller do to deserve that?’
‘Attacked one of the town ladies.’
‘You cut his heart out for that?’ the kid snarled.
‘Easy,’ cautioned Bannister.
The Drifter continued, ‘He came to town with two others. A man and a woman. Where are they?’
‘Are you from the herd they talked about?’
‘We are.’
The young woman smiled and stepped down from the boardwalk. She stopped in front of them and said, ‘How convenient.’
‘I asked you a question?’ Savage persisted.
There was movement from one of the men to his right. ‘I’d tell your man there to keep still or I’m going to shoot him.’
‘No call to be unfriendly,’ a man said and stepped forward. ‘My name is Osborne. These men are Paradise Elders. We keep the peace here.’
The man moved again. This time Savage showed him no mercy. He was angry about Wills, and besides, they’d been warned.
The Yellow Boy roared, and the man was blown back by the .44 Henry slug that ripped into his chest.
A flurry of motion followed. Frock coats opened, guns were drawn and aimed. Bannister and the kid had their own weapons pointed at Osborne. Savage on the other hand had the Yellow Boy pointed at the woman.
‘Wait!’ Osborne snapped.
Savage ignored him and stared into the woman’s unflinching eyes. She smiled and said, ‘He is the one.’
‘Are you sure?’ Osborne asked, not taking his gaze from Bannister.
‘Yes.’
Savage frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘We have been waiting for you,’ Becky said.
‘I don’t much care. I asked a question before and I’m still waiting for an answer.’
‘Your friends are safe,’ said Becky.
‘Well, how about you bring them out here and we’ll be gone.’
‘You’re going to let them get away with that?’ Hanson hissed.
Becky nodded and two of the frock-coated men disappeared into a building across the street.
When they emerged with Mavis and Grub, the two men halted and stared at Becky.
‘There are your friends.’
‘Where’s the chuckwagon?’
‘In a barn on the outskirts of Paradise.’
‘Are you and Mavis okay, Grub?’
The cook nodded. ‘Yeah. No thanks to these assholes.’
Savage nodded. ‘Go and get the wagon and we’ll get out of here.’
‘Not so fast!’ Becky snapped. ‘There are conditions.’
Bannister snorted. ‘There would be.’
There was a brief silence before Savage said, ‘I’m waiting.’
‘Everyone can go except for you,’ Becky explained. ‘You must remain behind.’
‘And why is that?’ Savage asked. He indicated Wills’ corpse. ‘So you can do that to me?’
‘Oh no. I don’t want you dead.’
‘What if I refuse?’
‘Then I will order the elders to kill you all.’
Savage thought of their chances if it came down to an all-out gunfight. They could maybe take them all, but at what cost?
Out of the side of his mouth he said in a low voice, ‘Bannister, you ever heard of a place called Cottonwood in Virginia?’
‘Yeah, I heard of it.’
‘Good,’ Savage said. He shifted his gaze back to Becky. ‘All right. Let them go.’
Becky smiled, and her face lit up with excitement. She looked at Osborne and said, ‘Do it.’
Osborne nodded. ‘Let them go. Get the wagon and their supplies.’
Savage stayed on the roan and watched carefully to make sure there would be no tricks.
Osborne stepped forward and held out his hand. ‘I’ll take your weapons.’
‘You want them, you take them. But I’ll tell you this, if you try, I’ll shoot you in the face.’
A hint of red came to the man’s face and he turned to look at Becky. She gave a slight nod and Osborne let it go.
Twenty minutes later, the chuckwagon rattled out of town with Bannister and Hanson bringing up the rear.
‘Satisfied?’ Becky asked.
‘Are you?’
She gave him a seductive smile. ‘I will be.’
Bannister called a halt after they’d travelled three miles. He called back over his shoulder to the kid, ‘Anyone back there?’
He eased his horse in beside Bannister’s and shook his head. ‘Can’t see anyone.’
‘All right then.’
‘What was all that about Savage asking you if you’d heard of that place in Virginia?’
‘It was his way of giving me a message,’ Bannister told him. ‘In the war there was a Confederate supply depot at Cottonwood. It also had rail lines, so supplies were freighted in rather regular like. Anyway, one night after dark a company of Union cavalry slipped into town and burned it to the ground.’
‘We’re going back?’
‘Yeah. After it gets dark we’re going back.’
‘Damn right,’ growled Grub. ‘We’ll go back and burn the shithole to the ground for what they done to the young feller.’
Bannister shook his head. ‘Not you, Grub. You get back and tell Llano Sam what’s happened. Take Mavis with you.’
‘Damn it, Bannister …’
‘Just do it!’
The cook grumbled under his breath as a last act to show his annoyance.
‘Do you think he’ll be okay?’ Mavis asked.
‘If there’s one thing I know about Savage since I met him, he’s a tough son of a bitch. He’ll be fine.’
‘I’ll kill him when I’m done. Now go before he wakes up!’
Even through the fog of drowsiness, Savage still heard the woman named Becky’s voice.
Shouldn’t have had that bastard drink, he thought, a pounding in his head.
The drink! It was the last thing he remembered. Stupid!
Savage heard the door close and then soft footsteps. He stirred slightly and found whatever he was laying on moved with him. It was soft. He opened his eyes and blinked the fog away.
‘You’re awake.’
Savage stared at Becky and then tried to move. His arms shifted maybe an inch before the ropes stopped them.
‘What the hell?’ he growled.
‘Don’t struggle,’ Becky told him. ‘You’re tied off nice and tight. Even your feet.’
The Drifter looked around and saw that he was in a large room with shelves that held candles which gave off an orange glow. There were no windows, and on the walls there hung strange carvings.
Then Savage realized something else. He was on a large bed and as naked as a jaybird. His pulse quickened. This wasn’t good.
‘So, I take it that you lied and are going to cut my heart out too?’
Becky moved closer to him. ‘No. Not if you do what you’re supposed to.’
Up closer now, he could see she was maybe in her early twenties. Her dark hair and eyes seemed to reflect the glow of the flickering candles.
She reached out and ran a finger across his rock-hard stomach. It traced the bumps and ripples of his muscles as it came up through the dark hair which covered his chest. Then the digit drifted to the right and did a lazy circle around the nipple before flicking across it.
Savage’s pulse quickened even more. He was helpless to stop her from doing anything. He swallowed nervously and gave an involuntary shiver.
Becky gave him a seductive smile and then her finger started a winding trail down, down, down. It ran across his lower abdomen and then stopped briefly before the finger became a hand, and the hand gently reached down to cup his balls.
Savage tensed and then relaxed as Becky started to massage them. He felt himself respond as blood began to engorge his cock.
The hand moved, and slender fingers wrapped around Savage’s thick shaft. Slowly, Becky started to stroke it and brought forth another involuntary shiver.
Becky let his cock go so she could slip free of her dress. Once it fell to the floor, she climbed onto the bed and knelt between his splayed legs. She reached out and took his erection in a firm grip and recommenced stroking it.
‘See,’ she said in a hoarse voice. ‘That’s not too bad is it.’
Savage swallowed the lump in his throat. ‘Uh huh.’
Becky lowered her head and bit the inside of his thigh. Savage gasped and felt himself get harder yet again. Then he felt her breath on his knob. He closed his eyes and felt the rough tongue run around the end of it. Her mouth opened, and the Drifter felt his hips raise up off the bed.
‘Christ!’ he moaned.
Becky looked up at Savage and gave him a wanton smile. She then started to run her tongue up his torso until she reached his chest. Then Becky repositioned herself above his throbbing erection and lowered herself slowly down onto it.
With her eyes closed, Becky commenced slow, deliberate movements of her hips which grew in intensity until her breasts jiggled wildly and loud moans escaped her lips. Her head began to thrash about in wild circular motions when her eyes flew wide and she screamed, ‘Tlaloc, give me your child!’
Beneath Becky, Savage felt her muscles contract as she spasmed with her release. He in turn, felt the growing tingle in his groin and he tried to match her movements.
His own release seemed to set his body on fire and he couldn’t help but join her in her ecstasy.
Becky lay atop of him for a time, her body jerked and twitched as she came down from the heights of passion. The orange candlelight shimmered off the thin sheen of sweat which coated her lithe form.
Becky said, ‘We have to do it again.’
‘Yes,’ said Savage. ‘But proper this time.’
Becky raised up on her hands and looked down into his eyes. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Untie me.’
Her expression became skeptical.
Savage stared at the firm breast in front of his face and with extreme effort, because of his bonds, he raised his head and bit Becky’s nipple. Not too hard, just hard enough.’
Becky squirmed against him. ‘Oh, God yes.’
Savage’s head fell back to the mattress and he looked up at her again. Becky dropped her face close to his and then kissed him, her tongue exploring the inside of his mouth.
The Drifter broke away and said, ‘Untie me. I want to make love to you proper.’
Any reluctance Becky had felt was now gone. With swift movements she climbed off him and hurried to a small cupboard where she rummaged in a drawer and came back to the bed.
In Becky’s right hand was a knife and Savage immediately remembered the vague words he’d heard when coming awake. I’ll kill him when I’m done.
He braced himself but instead of plunging the razor-sharp blade into his chest, she cut his feet free. Then she climbed back on the bed which swayed with the violent motions, straddled him, and then leaned forward so that her breasts brushed against his face.
While she cut his hands free, Savage opened his mouth and sucked a hardened nipple into it. He locked it between his lips and ran his tongue over it, causing a moan to escape from her.
With his right hand free, the Drifter reached down and cupped a soft butt cheek. He gave it a firm squeeze and bit the breast that still hung in his face.
‘Oh, God,’ Becky moaned. ‘Just wait.’
Savage felt the last rope give and then she slid back down his body, her lips searched for, and found his.
The Drifter’s hands slipped up from the soft padding of her rear to her slender waist. His fingers bit deep into her flesh and Becky gasped.
Becky sat up and held the knife to his throat. She laughed and reached down. Becky grabbed his cock and found it to her liking.
‘Watch you don’t slip with that knife,’ Savage told her.
She ignored him and rose up, positioned herself, and slid down his shaft.
The Drifter’s response was instant as he rose to meet her downward thrust. Even with the knife at his throat, he couldn’t help it. In fact, it added a whole new dimension. One that sent shudders of pleasure down his spine.
‘You like that?’ Becky asked in a hoarse voice.
‘It’s different.’
As her pace quickened, Becky closed her eyes and her head started to loll to the right. Small gasps escaped her lips. With her free hand, she raked Savage’s chest with her nails, drawing blood from the shallow furrows.
The Drifter gritted his teeth against what resembled acute pleasure. He felt the burning pain as the knife split the skin of his throat and the blood began to run and mix with the sweat.
As they both neared their peak once more, Savage stared up at her face and saw Becky’s eyes were open, her jaw set firm. It dawned on him what she had in mind. She was going to leave it until the last moment and while they were in their final throes, the sadistic bitch was going to cut his throat.
‘Christ,’ he moaned in realization.
Becky’s lips drew back from her clenched teeth and her eyes sparkled.
‘Yes,’ she hissed. ‘For Tlaloc.’
With a loud crash the door flew open. Startled, Becky’s head whipped around, and the knife came away from the Drifter’s throat. In the doorway stood Bannister, six-gun in his hand. He summed up the scene before him with one glance and before anything could happen, the weapon roared.
Savage felt Becky shudder under the impact of the slug before it erupted from her chest. Blood sprayed across his naked chest and before Becky could slump down across him, he gently rolled her to the side.
As she lay on her back, Becky looked up at him with wide eyes, mouth open as she tried to draw air into her lungs.
Savage looked down into her eyes. ‘Damn shame.’
‘I figure you got two minutes to get your clothes on and get the hell out of here,’ Bannister snapped.
Gunfire erupted from outside. ‘Make that not long at all.’
Hanson backed into the room. ‘We got trouble.’
He turned and stared at Savage and then at the dead woman. ‘Shit. Sorry to interrupt.’
‘Glad you did,’ the Drifter said as he searched the room for his clothes. ‘Where the hell are we anyway?’
‘Some kind of big hall,’ Bannister explained. ‘Was she going to kill you?’
Savage picked up his pants from where they’d been tossed in the corner. ‘Just as soon as she could.’
A voice sounded from outside. ‘Hey! You inside. Come on out, you ain’t going nowhere.’
It was Osborne.
Savage put the last of his clothes on and then looked for his weapons. ‘Christ, they’re not here.’
The kid held up a rifle in his hand. ‘Is this yours? Feller outside who was standing guard had it.’
The Drifter nodded. It was the Yellow Boy. ‘Six-gun?’
The kid shrugged.
‘No matter. Now we got to find a way out of here. Where are the horses?’
Bannister said, ‘Around back. Yours too. There’s only one way out. The way we came in.’
The sound of the lever being worked on the Yellow Boy echoed around the large room. Savage stared at the two men before him and said, ‘I’ve had enough of these crazies. They killed my man, and now they tried to kill me. It stops now.’
‘Did you hear me in there?’ Osborne shouted again.
Savage looked over at Bannister. ‘Talk to him. Hanson, give me a hand. Rip that sheet into some rags.’
Bannister crossed to the door and opened it a crack. ‘What do you want?’
‘First things, first. Is Becky all right?’
Bannister looked at the body on the bed. ‘Is that her name?’
‘Yeah.’
‘She’s resting.’
There was a moment of silence while Osborne contemplated what he was being told.
‘What do you mean, resting?’
Bannister suddenly smelled smoke and looked over at the far wall and saw orange flames licking at the dry plank-work. He could hear the crackle as it started to take hold.
‘Are you trying to kill us first?’ he asked Savage.
‘Not today. I just want to weaken this wall enough so I can break through it.’
The thick smoke was rapidly filling the room and even Savage began to question the wisdom of his decision and wondered whether he had created their own funeral pyre. Heat was building, and it forced the Drifter back a few paces.
‘Might be a good time to try it now,’ the kid pointed out. ‘I’m starting to slow roast.’
Looking around, Savage found what he wanted and hurried across to the bed and ripped the blood-stained sheet from beneath Becky. He tossed the Yellow boy to Hanson and covered himself with the fabric. Then he ran at the wall.
There was a splintering crash as the wall-planks gave under the force of the impact and Savage disappeared through the flames.
Bannister and the kid looked at each other before the former shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘Follow me.’
The pair almost cannoned into Savage when they emerged from the flaming hole in the wall. He was standing, patting himself down to extinguish any embers that had attached themselves to his clothing.
‘The horses are over that way,’ Bannister said, pointing to a cottonwood tree that stood out in the glow of moonlight.
‘Not frigging likely,’ Savage growled and took the Winchester from Hanson.
He started to walk back towards the street, blood-spattered and angry.
Bannister called after him, ‘What on earth are you doing?’
‘I’m going to disrespect some Elders.’
By the time Savage hit the street, the building they’d left was burning fiercely. Flames were starting to shoot from its roof and into the night sky.
The “Elders”, as they were called, began yelling at each other to get buckets of water. A large crowd was gathering, and they too involved themselves with fighting the fire. With the effort required in hauling water, and the distraction of the fire, they never saw the Drifter emerge from the alley until it was too late.
Savage stood in the middle of the street with the Yellow boy canted across his body.
‘Hey! Osborne, you asshole!’
The Elder turned and stared at the figure in the main street. He frowned and then realization set in. He opened his mouth to shout a warning to the others. That was when Savage shot him.
The gunshot rolled along the street, the sound of the report funneled by the buildings. The .44 Henry slug ripped through the lapel of the man’s frockcoat and slammed him back, even as he tried to bring his own gun up.
Savage jacked another round into the breech and targeted another of the elders. This time when the rifle fired, the slug took him in the right shoulder. The Drifter cursed when the man only staggered, so he worked the lever and fired again.
This time the bullet blew a hole in the elder’s chest. He screamed and fell to the street, writhing in pain.
The crack of a six-gun sounded, and Savage felt the passage of a bullet when it whizzed close to his face. He shifted his aim, levered, and then shot the next frock-coated figure in the guts.
That should have left one more, especially after Bannister and the kid had killed the one outside the door. Should have!
When Savage shifted his aim to find that last target, he was surprised to see another four frock-coated men standing before him.
This ain’t good, he thought.
More gunfire ripped through the night as Savage worked the Yellow boy with all the speed he could muster. When the hammer fell on an empty chamber there were still two of them standing.
The drifter braced himself for the lead to tear into his body and when the shots came he pitched forward involuntarily. However, it wasn’t him that fell dead on the street. The two elders before him jerked like marionettes as bullets from the six-guns of both Bannister and the kid slammed home.
With loud cries, the two frock-coated men fell to the street with their brethren.
As the last echoes of gunfire were swept away, the only sound on the street was that of the roaring fire. The Drifter moved forward through the dead and wounded elders until he found Osborne. As he did, he scooped up a fallen six-gun from one of the dead. It was a Colt Army model, chambered for a .44 caliber slug.
The head elder was gasping for breath and the orange fire-glow showed a thin trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. When he saw Savage standing over him, his eyes widened, and he tried to grasp his fallen weapon.
Before he could grip the gun, Savage raised the Colt in his fist and pointed it at the wounded man.
One last gunshot crashed out and Osborne’s head was hammered into the street surface when the .44 slug punched into his skull a fraction above the bridge of his nose.
It wasn’t long before a murmuring crowd started to gather and a tall man with a thick beard stepped forward and stared at the Drifter with contempt.
‘You murdered them, you heathen bastard!’ he accused.
The Drifter’s voice was laced with venom. ‘They were the murderers here. In fact, you’re all frigging murderers.’
‘We did as the Gods bade us.’
‘Human sacrifice? What God on this whole damned earth tells you to sacrifice another human being. None that I’ve heard of.’
There was movement at Savage’s side and Bannister stepped forward.
‘The kid’s getting the horses.’
‘We got one more thing to do before we’re done here,’ Savage told him. ‘We’re going to burn this evil place to the ground.’
The tall man stepped forward to protest. ‘You can’t do that. It ain’t lawful.’
‘And killing people the way you do, is?’
‘We will just find another place to build and start again,’ the man said defiantly.
Savage’s gaze hardened, and he lifted the Colt to eye level. The tall man blanched and stared down the gaping muzzle of the gun.
‘Maybe, but you won’t,’ Savage hissed and squeezed the trigger.
Turning to Bannister, Savage said, ‘Let’s get to burning.’
Bannister watched him walk off and spun around to see the kid approaching with the horses. The kid looked at him and asked, ‘What happened?’
‘Remember when we first started out you said to me you were going to kill him?’
‘Yeah, so? That was a long time ago. Why?’
‘Be glad you didn’t try.’
When they left Paradise thirty minutes later, the town behind them resembled Hades, a conflagration of gigantic, orange flames leaping into the sky. Come morning, there would be nothing left except a smoldering ruin.